It is known to provide coin, token or card operated mechanisms for the collection of payment for goods or services such as bus fare collection systems, pay and display parking devices, prepared food delivery systems and the like. Such devices may be capable of debiting prepaid or credit cards such as the systems currently in use for the provision of telecommunication services and the concept of a prepayment credit card for obtaining bus journeys and tickets for train journeys has already been tried.
It is an object of the present invention to enable such systems to accept a universal prepurchased stored value or debit card and to allow the amount which has been debited from the card to be allocated to the appropriate service or goods provider.